Agnes or The Art of Friendship

Agnes and Louisa are friends. When they were at school Agnes protected Louisa from the snobbery of their fellow pupils; now they are grown up, Louisa wants to shield Agnes from the worst effects of poverty. But at twenty-three life is more complicated than it was when they were children. How much should one give? How much can the other take? And can childhood friendship survive the vicissitudes of adult life? It is nearly Michaelmas and Louisa's mother, beginning to despair of finding her daughter a suitable husband, fills their large house with eligible gentlemen. Agnes, meanwhile, has taken up residence in a cottage on the estate with a widow to whom she has recently become companion. The two parties mingle with unexpected and sometimes not altogether happy results. As with Bowness's previous books, this one has plenty of wit along with deeply realised characters whose dilemmas and feelings are described with sensitivity and warmth. Praise for Bowness includes: ‘The author's great strength is in constructing characters which grasp your interest'; and ‘a Regency romance in the old vein of no sex and Ms Austen style of prose, though a hint of Georgette Heyer leapt to mind here and there.'